The VERZUZ battle phenomenon is still here and up next is two well respected southern Hip-Hop groups. During Memorial Day weekend, UGK and 8Ball & MGK will take the stage in Atlanta for an iconic VERZUZ battle.
VERZUZ took it to Twitter to announce the news.
Both UGK and 8Ball & MJG played major roles in bringing southern culture to Hip-Hop. Both groups used their music to lyrically give insight to how things went in the south.
The Port Arthur, Texas duo, UGK, consisting of Bun B and the legendary late Pimp C, made a splash in the rap game when they dropped their â96 classic Ridinâ Dirty.
Meanwhile, 8Ball & MJG were the some of the first rappers to but Mempish on the map.
The date for the battle will happen on May 26, at 8PM ET, in Atlanta. Fans can stream UGK vs 8Ball and MJG, on all Verzuz social media feeds, as well as Triller.
Fans can also receive updates about this, Verzuz, by texting 855-968-1499. As of now, itâs unclear when tickets will be available, for fans to purchase, in order to attend UGK vs 8Ball & MJG.
The silent auction raised over $15,000. Notable guests include Charles Oakley, Mona Scott-Young, Treach, Commissioner Stan Neron, Producer Karriem Mack, Tyhem Commodore (Mr. Commodore), Khairy Williams (Spotify), Brenda Green (Fit4abtterme), Tiffany Emmanuel (Ms. Emmanuel), Stacey Wade (sexxystaceface), and Sarah Stone (starringsara).Â
The mission of Bold Beginnings is to bring awareness, raise funds and to help fight for homelessness and domestic violence in our community and provide resources for unprivileged and underserved women, men, children, and families to give them Bold Beginnings.
Photos: Claude Yao Sahi   @hijo_elconquistador)
The RICO charges against YSL headliners Young Thug and Gunna have stunned many in the Hip Hop community, with Gunna recently being denied bond and not given a hearing date until 2023. Now, a video of a court hearing shows a prosecutor claiming that the two Young Slime Life artists were part of a âcommand structureâ of YSL and even allege they had snipers always around to protect them from law enforcement.
The Fulton County prosecutor claims that Thugger, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, and Gunna, whose real name is Sergio Kitchens, would âtauntâ their officers by rapping about the snipers they kept on deck that were trained to go. The prosecutor detailed a law enforcement encounter where YSL associates were arrested with illegal guns after they were stopped for allegedly tailing the police.
Both Young Thug and Gunna remain behind bars until their court hearings.
On this day in Hip Hop history, âThe Overweight Loverâ Heavy D was born in Mandeville, Jamaica in 1967. If he were alive today, heâd be 55 years old.
Heavy D, born Dwight Errington Myers, moved to Mount Vernon, New York in the late 1970s. In the mid-1980s Heavy D along with DJ EddieF and dancers T-Roy and G-Wiz signed to Uptown records and began their journey to fame and adoration as Heavy D & The Boyz. The groupâs debut Living Large released in 1987 and was a marginal success selling 300,000 copies.
The group began to rise in popularity, helping Heavy D to become pop sensation. The success of the groupâs second and third albums, Big Tyme and Peaceful Journey, brought Heavy D the opportunity to collaborate with artists like Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, B.B. King and more. Through the start of the 1990s, Heavy D began making more and more appearances in music videos and on TV and in films.
In the mid-1990s Heavy D became the first rapper to run a record label when he became president of Uptown Records. Prior to becoming president, Heavy D was instrumental in the hiring of Sean Combs as an intern. He also convinced Andre Harrel to sign Jodeci. As president, Heavy D worked with and developed boy band Soul for Real and was the executive producer and principal writer for majority of their debut album. His success as an executive led to him becoming senior vice president of Universal Music.
Heavy D passed away on November 8, 2011 from complications caused by a blood clot in his leg. His final performance at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards was his first televised performance in 15 years. Heavy Dâs legacy will live on forever in the work that he created and the mark that he left on the Hip Hop industry as a whole.
The rainy weather didnât keep Brooklyn and the rest of the New York from showing up and showing out for the exclusive, black-tie Notorious B.I.G. 50th Birthday Gala. Last weekend, the cityâs biggest influencers and tastemakers were all on hand the bring in what wouldâve been Biggieâs 50th born day(May 21). Sponsored by Pepsi and put on by the Christopher Wallace Estate, Manhattanâs Guastavinoâs was the locale of the prestigious bday bash for the gameâs most celebrated emcee, which drew celebs from all facets of urban entertainment.
B.I.G.âs real friends, family and diehard supporters were in attendance for this second annual event. Everyone impactful in his career was in attendance; from his original Brooklyn family/crew, Lilâ Kim , Lil Cease and Junior M.A.F.I.A., to his extended family in the Hip Hop community, including Fat Joe and Sway Calloway, who conducted Biggieâs last radio interview just four days before he was killed in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997.
The night began with an exclusive full course dinner while a live band called The Frank White Experience played some of Biggieâs most revered hits, which preceded some of his âNotoriousâ hits being played in digital format by none other than HOT 97âs DJ Enuff for the capacity crowd to enjoy. A large ice sculpture with the letters âB.I.G.âgraced the stairs to the entrance of the upper level gala, where many of the attendees took their âI was thereâ pics.
Some of the other notables who came through to show Biggie sone Brooklyn love include Biggieâs children TâYanna and C.J. Wallace, Havoc of Mobb Deep, Smif Nâ Wessun, Caesar Emanuel of Black Ink, Karliee Redd of Love And Hip Hop ,Don Pooh, Bri Steeves, Coodie (director of Kanye Westâs Jeen-Yus documentary}, Lil Kimâs business partner Alyi V, marketing guru Greg Walker, entertainment attorney/The Source Magazine owner Londell McMillian and countless others.
Performances included a set by Lil Kim and Junior M.A.F.I.A., including a âQuiet Stormâ cameo with Kim and Havoc. The surprise of the night was watching âLil Biggieâ Christopher âC.J.â Wallace perform his one of his fatherâs premiere hits, âOne More Chanceâ, as the crowd felt the spirit of Biggie through his only son.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams reportedly has his sights set on the White House. The New York Post reports City Hall insiders say the 61-year-old Democrat believes the national party has swung too far to the left, and that he has a platform to win the presidency in 2024.
The paper quotes an elected official in Brooklyn with ties to the mayor, who says Adams is âconsidering a White House runâ if President Biden does not seek re-election.
Should Adams run, he would be the fourth consecutive New York City mayor to seek the nationâs highest office, following in the footsteps of Bill de Blasio, Michael Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani.
According to theNew York Post, Mayor Adams is not interested in focusing on a presidential campaign.
âThatâs a silly, silly story. I never had a conversation about that and I love being mayor, and you can run the country from New York City. Iâm the mayor. Thatâs all Iâm focused on.â
Huth previously said the alleged incident happened in 1974, and Cosbyâs team tried but failed to get the suit dismissed after she changed the timeline of her allegations.
âThis is a trial by assassination of Mr. Cosbyâs legacy and livelihood,â his legal said, adding that Cosby denies the allegations and believes he will be âvindicatedâ at trial.
The trial comes after Cosby was freed from prison after his sexual-assault conviction was overturned less than a year ago.
For those who want to see another installment of Mike Lowry and Marcus Burnett, donât fret, Bad Boys 4 is on the way. Sony Chairman Tom Rothman stated the film starring Will Smith, alongside Martin Lawrence, was never stalled following Smithâs Oscar slapped.
âThat was innacurate⊠That movieâs been in development and still is,â Rothman said, according to Indie Wire. âThere werenât any brakes to pump because the car wasnât moving.â
The third edition of the franchise, Bad Boys For Life, was released in 2022. A fourth edition was quickly greenlit following the filmâs success. After the Oscars slap, it was believed the film was placed on hold with numerous other projects that included Smith.
Rothman added, Â âThat was a very unfortunate thing that happened, and I donât think itâs really my place to comment, except to say that Iâve known Will Smith for many years, and I know him to be a good person. That was an example of a very good person having a very bad moment, in front of the world. I believe his apology and regret is genuine, and I believe in forgiveness and redemption.â
In April, Bloombergâs Lucas Shaw reported Netflix is giving up on a sequel to Smithâs Sci-Fi action film Bright. The sequelâs cancellation is not associated with the slap of Chris Rock. Just last summer, a report cited the film was in the final stages of creating a script, bringing back Smith, Joel Edgerton, and director David Ayer. Netflixâs Fast and Loose film, which stars Smith, is now in slower development. Smithâs show with National Geographic is experiencing a delay; however, the show will continue.
As the Western Conference Finals were heating up last week, so was a beef between Lil Wayne and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
Lil Wayne was rooting for Phoenix Suns in their second-round matchup with the Dallas Mavericks. The Suns would lose but earlier in the series, Weezy let off his feelings about Mavs superstar Luka Doncic, calling him a âho.â
Once the Suns were blown out and bounced out of the playoffs, Mavs owner Mark Cuban found that tweet and offered one of his own, using lyrics from Wayneâs âUproar.â
Wayne saw it and fired back: âMark Cuban donât make me et u smacked boy U playin w me?? I will piss in ya fkn mouth hoâ
He also dropped this one that hasnât been deleted:
Lil Kim paid tribute to the icon The Notorious B.I.B. in classic New York City form with a star-studded gala presented by Lexus and Pepsi. Last night, May 20th, 2022, the biggest names in hip hop gathered to commemorate Biggieâs 50th birthday. Biggieâs legacy was recognized with a star-studded black-tie gala and concert at Guastavinoâs (409 E 59th St, New York, NY 10022), which featured performances of Biggieâs most iconic singles.
Lilâ Kim, Lilâ Cease, Junior M.A.F.I.A., CJ Wallace, Tâyanna Wallace, Fat Joe, Havoc, Sway, Smif-N-Wessun, Tek and Steele, Prayah, Ceaser Emanuel of Black Ink Crew, and others gathered to honor the late rapper.
The event honored Biggie, who is widely regarded as the greatest rapper of all time, with performances of his most popular classics. Biggieâs impact to hip hop continues to inspire future generations. His illustrious career has left an indelible mark on mainstream culture. B.I.G. is still alive!
On Biggie Smalls and Lilâ Kimâs official Instagram sites, as well as Lil Kimâs YouTube channel, fans can get a behind-the-scenes peek at the spectacular event. Culture Creative, a Black-owned Emmy Award-Winning firm, organized the event. Culture Creativeâs mission is to link businesses with growing cultural marketing destinations through new and inventive forms of authentic storytelling.
Biggieâs and music industry giants âDon Poohâ Brooklyn Chophouse Times Square hosted the after-party. Around 230 AM, Lilâ Kim, Lilâ Cease, and Junior M.A.F.I.A. arrived, and Brooklyn Chop House fired up the kitchen to serve Lilâ Kim and her team!